SLS 11RS-953 ORIGINAL
Page 1 of 5
Regular Session, 2011
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 35
BY SENATOR WILLARD-LEWIS
COMMENDATIONS. Congratulates the "Mighty" Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta
Sorority, Incorporated and welcomes the sorority to New Orleans on June 2-4, 2011 for its
82
nd
Southern Regional Leadership Conference and Youth Retreat.
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To commend and congratulate the "Mighty" Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,2
Incorporated and to welcome the sorority to New Orleans on June 2-4, 2011, for its3
82
nd
Southern Regional Leadership Conference and Youth Retreat.4
WHEREAS, Anitra Kennedy Furlow is the current Regional Director of the "Mighty"5
Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, with a spirit of gratitude,6
excitement and teamwork and under this administration, the Southern Region strives to7
strengthen the sisterhood, provide quality service, promote scholarship and continue to focus8
on the purpose in which the sorority was founded; and 9
WHEREAS, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated will host the 82nd Southern10
Regional Conference and Youth Retreat in New Orleans, on June 2-4, 2011; and11
WHEREAS, the sorority was founded January 16, 1920, on the campus of Howard12
University in Washington, D.C. with the desire to provide true service, to embrace13
scholarship, to set a standard for sisterly love and to define the noble concept of finer14
womanhood; and15
WHEREAS, the founders of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, known as the Five Pearls, are16
Arizona Cleaver-Stemons, Myrtle Tyler-Faithful, Viola Tyler- Goings, Pearl Ann Neal, and17
Fannie Pettie-Watts, who blazed a trail that has been traveled by thousands of women18 SCR NO. 35
SLS 11RS-953 ORIGINAL
Page 2 of 5
dedicated to the emulation of the objectives and ideals of the sorority; and1
WHEREAS, sorority members Myrtle Tyler, Gladys Warrington, Joanna Houston,2
Josephine Johnson and O. Goldia Smith first incorporated Zeta Phi Beta Sorority on March3
30, 1923, in Washington D.C., and in 1939, the sorority was incorporated in the state of4
Illinois; and 5
WHEREAS, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated was the first organization to charter6
a chapter in Africa in 1948; to form adult and youth auxiliary groups, the Amicae,7
Archonettes, Amicettes, and Pearlettes; and to be constitutionally bound to a brother group,8
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated; and 9
WHEREAS, since 1972, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated has enjoyed a10
partnership with the March of Dimes in an effort to encourage women to seek prenatal care11
within the first trimester of pregnancy, thereby increasing the prevention of birth defects and12
infant mortality; and 13
WHEREAS, the sorority sponsors over 175 Stork's Nests, designed to promote14
prenatal care participation and healthy behaviors during the pregnancy, serving over 28,00015
women; and16
WHEREAS, Zetas Helping Other People Excel (Z-HOPE) is an outreach service17
program that has six primary objectives, corresponding measures of success and a18
mechanism for chapter recognition; and 19
WHEREAS, the National Educational Foundation of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,20
Incorporated is created and operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes21
with the principle activities and purpose of the trust being to award scholarship grants to22
worthy students for the pursuit of higher education; to conduct community educational23
programs which will aid in the educational and vocational improvement in individual and24
community living standards; to engage in activities which will aid in the educational25
development of all women; and to engage in any appropriate research related to the purposes26
of the foundation scholarship; and27
WHEREAS, the Southern Region traces its origins to when a beautiful visionary,28
Roberta F. Bell-Sims was elected as the National First Anti-Basileus serving through 1934,29
who moved Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated to the "Mighty" Southern Region in 1929,30 SCR NO. 35
SLS 11RS-953 ORIGINAL
Page 3 of 5
and which has for the past 81 years been effectively carrying out the programmatic thrust1
of its national presidents as well as fulfilling the needs of the sisterhood; and2
WHEREAS, there is no explanation or mention of "Boule" before this; and3
WHEREAS, at the same Boule in 1929, Roberta was appointed to serve as the4
Southern Regional Director and given the assignment of organizing a region to be comprised5
of Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama and from 1929 to 1934, Roberta6
organized new chapters in every section of the region; and 7
WHEREAS, between 1937 and 1943, the region grew into the largest region in the8
sorority, being named "The Mighty Southern Region", because it was so strong and gave9
such excellent leadership to the national body; the region growing so rapidly and so large10
that eventually all states except Texas and Louisiana were reassigned to other regions; and11
WHEREAS, in 1937, the Southern Region invited the Boule to Houston, the first12
held south of the Mason-Dixon line, where forty-five voting delegates attended; and 13
WHEREAS, the region is proud to have three very active Past Grand Basilei who14
have added and continue to add wisdom, guidance, and stability to the region - Lullelia15
Walker Harrison from Houston, is the 12th Grand Basileus, Isabel Morgan Herson from16
Baton Rouge, is the 16th Grand Basileus and Dr. Barbara West Carpenter from Baton17
Rouge, is the 21st Grand Basileus; and18
WHEREAS, the achievements of the "Mighty Southern Region" are remarkable and19
in many cases have set a precedent in Zeta as the Southern Region is the only region to hold20
a separate auxiliary leadership conference; and 21
WHEREAS, the first undergraduate chapter established south of the Mason-Dixon22
line was Theta Chapter at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, in 1923 and Lambda Gamma23
Chapter of McNeese State University in Lake Charles was the first undergraduate chapter24
established on a predominantly white college campus in the South in 1969; and 25
WHEREAS, the first executive office of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated was26
located in Houston, at 1721 Worms Street, and in 1948 Houston Amicae was the first to be27
granted a charter by national; and 28
WHEREAS, the first fully paid life members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated29
were Gertrude Jimson and Eola Lyons Baker of Alpha Gamma Zeta Chapter in New30 SCR NO. 35
SLS 11RS-953 ORIGINAL
Page 4 of 5
Orleans; and1
2
WHEREAS, the first graduate chapter to be chartered in the region was Gamma Zeta3
on April 3, 1925, in Shreveport, by Zetas in the teaching profession; and 4
WHEREAS, the oldest active graduate chapter in the region is Kappa Zeta in Dallas,5
established in 1931 which held Blue Revue, a national scholarship observance, in 1933 and6
presented at the 1933 Boule; and7
WHEREAS, the first honorary member from the Southern Region was Barbara Ann8
Webb-Spriggs, a concert singer from Houston, receiving the honor in 1952; and9
WHEREAS, the first regional youth retreat was held at Bishop College in Dallas in10
June 1979, and the first Southern Region youth director was Hattie Marshall of Gamma11
Omega Zeta in Houston; and 12
WHEREAS, the Southern Region was the first to hold a joint Sigma/ Zeta Leadership13
Conference (Gulf Coast Region/Sigma and Southern Region/Zeta), in Lake Charles in 198714
and initiated the Project SOS (Save Our Sons) in New Orleans in 1989; and15
WHEREAS, the Southern Region is the only region that functions without state16
meetings since there are only two states in the region; and 17
WHEREAS, Zeta's national and local programs include endowment of its National18
Education Foundation; community outreach services; and support of multiple affiliate19
organizations and Zeta chapters and auxiliary groups have given untold hours of voluntary20
service to educate the public, assist youth, provide scholarships, support organized charities,21
and promote legislation for social and civic change.22
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby23
commend and congratulate the "Mighty" Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,24
Incorporated and welcome the sorority to New Orleans on June 2-4, 2011 for its 82
nd
25
Southern Regional Leadership Conference and Youth Retreat.26
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the27
Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.28 SCR NO. 35
SLS 11RS-953 ORIGINAL
Page 5 of 5
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
Willard-Lewis SCR No. 35
Commends the "Mighty" Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated and to
welcome the sorority to New Orleans on June 2-4, 2011 for its 82
nd
Southern Regional
Leadership Conference and Youth Retreat.